Hoppers for feeding cigarettes



May 25, 1965 w. J. KEMP HOPPERS FOR FEEDING GIGARETTES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 10, 1962 mwwmHTfi Tm y 1965 w. J. KEMP 3,185,321

HOPPERS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES Filed Aug. 10, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,185,321 HOPPERS FOR FEEDDJG CIGARETTES William Joseph Kemp, London, England, assignor to Molins Machine Company Limited, London, England, a British company Filed Aug. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 216,243 Claims priority, applicatign Gnellt Britain, Aug. 23, 1961,

3 3 Claims. (Cl. 214-17) This invention concerns improvements in hoppers for feeding cigarettes and more particularly a hopper for feeding oval cigarettes. The kind of hopper to which the invention refers has a box-like compartment, the hopper proper, with an outlet at its base which is sub-divided by substantially vertical partitions to provide slots, each wide enough for a single cigarette to pass down. Such hoppers are commonly known as vane hoppers, the partitions being called vanes and these expressions will be used hereinafter. A vane hopper is positioned a short distance above a plate or the surface of a machine bed so that the cigarettes are eventually supported by the surface of a plate or bed as a row and can be removed endwise from the position they occupy at the lower end of the slots.

Oval cigarettes are difficult to handle mechanically as they easily lose fragments of tobacco by their tendency to expand and it is not easy to ensure free passage down the hopper slots as two cigarettes can partly enter into a slot edgewise, that is with the major axes leading. When the cigarettes are of poor quality or have a high moisture content these difliculties are increased.

It is well known to oscillate or otherwise move the vanes of this type of hopper to assist in correct feeding of oval cigarettes and the present invention is concerned with a novel kind of movement.

According to the invention there is provided a vane hopper having a set of vanes and means for moving some at least of the vanes up and down and means for simultancously reciprocating, in directions normal to their planes, those vanes which are moved up and down.

The term vane is deemed to include part of a vane as it is frequently desirable to have one part fixed, for example, the lower part and the other movable, and the invention further includes a vane hopper having a set of vanes, some at least of which are of two-piece construction and means for moving one part of each such two-piece vane up and down and simultaneously reciprocating such part in directions normal to its plane.

Further according to the invention there is provided a vane hopper comprising stationary vanes, and movable vanes positioned between stationary vanes, the movable vanes being fixed together to form a movable unit, means for reciprocating said unit vertically and a device for deriving a horizontal reciprocation from the vertical reciprocation and attached to the movable unit whereby the two movements of vertical and horizontal reciprocation are simultaneously imparted to the unit and the vanes of said movable unit are reciprocated vertically and also in directions normal to their planes. The relative disposition of the fixed and moving vanes depends to some extent on the number of cigarettes being fed as a row. If an odd number, then the outer vanes may move; generally fixed and moving vanes are alternate.

The vertical reciprocation may be provided by a crank motion but is preferably obtained from cam-operated mechanism which enables variations to be obtained in the movements through one complete reciprocation.

The device for deriving horizontal reciprocation from the vertical movement may comprise fixed guides whose guiding surfaces are oblique to a vertical plane and cooperating sliding surfaces attached to the movable unit whereby the up and down movement will also impart a horizontal to and fro movement'to the unit in directions normal to the planes of the vanes in said unit.

The invention will be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a vane hopper, with a part in section,

FIGURE 2 is a sectional side elevation of FIGURE 1 on the line 22,

FIGURE 3 is a local section of FIGURE -1 on the line IIIIII, 1

FIGURE 4 is a local section of FIGURE 1 on the line IV-IV.

Referring to the drawings 1 is a box-like arrangement in which a mass of cigarettes is deposited and it has an outlet 2 at its base. The walls 1A of the box slope downwards to the outlet. 3 is an agitating device, commonly used in hoppers of this kind, the whole arrangement being such that cigarettes move down to the outlet 2 with a reasonably even flow when the apparatus is working. Beneath the outlet is an assembly of vanes providing a number of slots 4 down which cigarettes can move until eventually they lie on a plate 5 from which they are removed endwise by a pusher or conveyor in the ordinary Way.

The vane assembly has alternate fixed vanes 6, see FIGURE 3, and two-piece vanes 6A-6B, see FIGURE 4, the upper parts 6A being movable. The fixed part of the assembly is held together by studs 7 and distance pieces 8 but the lower studs 7 with their distance pieces 8 clamp all the fixed vanes 6 and the vane parts 6B together as a rigid assembly while the upper studs 7, see FIGURE 2, with their distance pieces 8, FIGURE 1, clamp only the fixed vanes 6 together.

The parts 6A are clamped in a similar manner by studs 9 and distance pieces .16 to form a unit but in this case because the unit is to move, the studs 9 also clamp the assembly of these parts to bracket blocks 11 which have circular studs 12 protruding from them which enter slots 13 in cam levers 14, the parts being duplicated, one set at each side. The levers 14 are pivoted at 15 and rollers 16 engage cams 17 fixed on a rotatable shaft 18, the levers being slotted at 19, FIGURE 2, so that they can oscillate on the shaft. The cam movements depress the bracket blocks 11 against the tension of springs 20 and thus the vane parts 6A receive an up and down movement. The bracket blocks 11 comprise sloping surfaces 21 which are in rubbing contact with sloping surfaces 22 on fixed blocks 23.

The upper studs 7 for the fixed vanes 6 are supported by lugs 24 extending from fixed brackets 25 which also support the blocks 23.

The front and back sides of the vane assembly are partly closed by fixed end guides 26 which control the cigarettes as they pass down the slots 4 and the cigarettes are guided laterally by shroud plates 27 which are fixed to each of the fixed vanes 6, and similar shroud plates which are fixed to the movable vane parts 6A, the lower parts of these shrouds, which extend over the fixed vane parts 6B, being relieved at 28 FIGURE 1 to allow for movement with respect to the parts 6B.

The shaft 18 is driven by bevel gear wheels 29 and 30, the latter being driven from any convenient part of the packing machine.

When the gear wheel 30 is rotated the cam levers are rocked by the cams and the moving vane parts 6A are moved up and down. This movement causes the bracket blocks 11 to move to and fro sideways because of the sloping faces 21-22. About 1 mm. movement each side of the rest or mean position of the vane parts 6A is genice A 3 erally sufficient but it can be altered by changing the slopes of 21-22.

Instead of the cam 17 the drive to the cam lever may be by an eccentric pin rotating about the axis of shaft 18 and engaging a slot in the cam lever, the other parts being as before but the cam drive is'better because the cam can have any desired :contour and so the move ment can be varied as may be desired. The cam shown in FIGURE 2 "has three flats on it joined by three arcs and thus the movement given to :the cam lever in 180, from the lowest point of the cam, has a fairly sharp rise due to an arc followed by what is almost a dwell due to a flat and then a fairly sharp rise from the highest are. This contour covers 180 and the cam is symmetrical so that both while the moving vane unit is rising and falling the lateral movement of the unit also takes the form of a step-like motion and the combined movement of the unit is somewhat like an undulatiom As the movements are fairly rapid, two vertical reciprocations per packet of cigarettes or, say, 200-300 reciprocations per minute, giving 600 step movements for the horizontal reciprocation, it is necessary that the surfaces 21-22 should be in close contact to avoid noise, shock and wear. For this purpose the surface 21 is formed on an arcuate piece 31 which is adjustable'by an eccentric bush 32 fixed to a rotatable pin 33 the bush being housed in a hole in the piece 31. After adjustment the pin 33 is locked by a screw (not shown).

As shown the cigarettes are lying on the plate 5 with their major axes parallel to the base of the plate, but as oval cigarettes are generally packed in tilted or lapped formation any known means may be provided beyond the hopper for lapping the cigarettes prior to their entry into a packet or wrapper.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A hopper of the kind known as a vane hopper for feeding elongated articles, and consisting of a hopper having an outlet in its base and a set of vanes, disposed in vertical planes and laterally spaced, extending downwards from the outlet to define slots down which said elongated articles can pass from the outlet, said hopper comprising stationary vanes, and movable vanes positioned between stationary vanes, the movable vanes'being fixed together to form a movable unit, means for reciprocating saidunit vertically and a device for deriving a horizontal reciprocation from the vertical reciprocationand attached to the movable unit whereby the two. movements of vertical and horizontal reciprocation are 2. A hopper of the kind known as a vane hopper for feeding elongated articles, and consisting of a hopper havingan outlet in its base and a set of vanes, disposed in vertical planes and laterally spaced, extending down wards from the outlet to define slots down which said elongated articles can pass from the outlet, said hopper of the kind comprising stationary vanes and movable vanes positioned between the stationary varies and having means for moving the movable vanes up and down and simultaneously moving them transversely to the up and down movement, wherein the movable vanes are fixed together to form a movable unit and a lever is coupled to the unit with a cam and spring to oscillate the lever and actuate said unit and cause it to move up and down,'and said means is provided for effecting the transverse movement of the vanes comprises a pair of fixed parallel surfaces inclined to the direction of the up and down movement of the unit, and cooperating inclined surfaces fixed to the movable unit whereby as the unit moves up and down the vanes are simultaneously reciprocated in the vertical direction and reciprocated at right angles to the vertical movement,

3. A hopper of the kind known as a vane hopper for A feeding elongated articles, and consisting of a hopper having an outlet in its base and a set of vanes, disposed in vertical planes. and laterally spaced, extending down wards from the outlet to define slots down which said elongated articles can pass from the outlet, said hopper comprising stationary vanes, and two-piece vanes positioned between said stationary vanes one piece being movable and the other stationary, the movable portions of the vanes being fixed together to form a movable unit, means for reciprocating said unit vertically and a device for deriving a horizontal reciprocation from the vertical reciprocation and attached to the movable unit whereby the two movements of vertical and horizontal reciprocation are simultaneously imparted to the unit and the movable vane portions of said unit are reciprocated vertically and also in direction normal to their planes.

References Cited by the Examiner 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,239,589 4/41 Chalmers et al. 53-15l 2,618,421 11/52 Basus 221--68 X FOREIGN PATENTS 513,997 12/30 Germany. 710,247 9/41 Germany.

HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Examiner. 

1. A HOPPER OF THE KIND KNOWN AS A VANE HOPPER FOR FEEDING ELONGATED ARTICLES, AND CONSISTING OF A HOPPER HAVING AN OUTLET IN ITS BASE AND SET OF VANES, DISPOSED IN VERTICAL PLANES AND LATERALLY SPACED, EXTENDING DOWNWARDS FROM THE OUTLET TO DEFINE SLOTS DOWN WHICH SAID ELONGATED ARTICLES CAN PASS FROM THE OUTLET SAID HOPPER COMPRISING STATIONARY VANES, AND MOVABLE VANES POSITIONED BETWEEN STATIONARY VANES, THE MOVABLE VANES BEING FIXED TOGETHER TO FORM A MOVABLE UNIT, MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID UNIT VERTICALLY AND A DEVICE FOR DERIVING A HORIZONTAL RECIPROCATION FROM THE VERTICAL RECIPROCATION AND ATTACHED TO THE MOVABLE UNIT WHEREBY THE TWO MOVEMENTS OF VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL RECIPROCATION ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPARTED TO THE UNIT AND THE VANES OF SAID UNIT ARE RECIPROCATED VERTICALLY AND ALSO IN DIRECTIONS NORMAL TO THEIR PLANES. 